Press Releases

May022014

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the April jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

“For every one job added, almost three people left the workforce. In fact, all of the decrease in the unemployment rate is attributed to the 988,000 more people who are not in the labor force at all. So while it is welcome news anytime jobs are added, these larger workforce departures point to a more fundamental and deeply alarming trend in our economy: 58 million working-age Americans are simply not working. Since December 2007, the U.S. population has grown by 15.1 million but there are half a million fewer people holding jobs. The median household income has fallen by $2,268 after adjusting for inflation, and wages are lower than they were in 1999. The share of households in the middle class is shrinking, while the share in the bottom segment of the income distribution is rising.

More federal stimulus is not the answer. That approach has been tried and failed. Instead, we must steadfastly pursue policies that create jobs and raise wages—and do not add to the debt. These include: more American energy, a streamlined tax and regulatory system, trade and immigration policies that defend U.S. workers and their interests, making the government more efficient, and finally balancing the federal budget.”